


The Morosa Saga

by Morosa_Saga



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Death, Empoleon - Freeform, Gen, Mild Horror, Ninetales - Freeform, Set in the canon world but to the left, Sneasel - Freeform, Warning: Snow, Wrap up Warm For This one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-09-23 21:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9677867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morosa_Saga/pseuds/Morosa_Saga
Summary: An original story using the pokemon world based in a new, northern region covered in ice. It following the journey of a pokemon researcher, Jennie, who gets caught up in a plot involving ancient deities and metal colossi. Along the way she butts heads with an environmental society that aren't quite what they seem, and a sinister scientific company. Both of which are led by a group of people who would stop at nothing to achieve their dreams.Life is harder in Morosa than in the other regions of the Pokémon world, and the animals that inhabit it's cold open spaces are far less tame. As a result a lot of Jennie's encounters are a bit more brutal than expected.Updates on Mondays (more likely early Tuesday GMT).Find the accompanying tumblrhere





	1. Report Proceedings

Excerpt from Witness report No.001:  
Subject: Wright, Jennifer  
"I intended to visit Morosa merely for scientific reasons, just a few months prior to my trip I managed to get hold of the funds needed for the PhD of my dreams. For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by ice Pokémon and their environment , thanks to my Dad, professor Wright of Sinnoh University. His work on the ancient ruins of Spear Pillar and Unova drew me to Morosa's huge array of ruined structures. In one particular piece of work my father noted the similarity of symbols in Morosan ruins depicting the defensive structures of Triskore to those found in Sinnoh depicting Unown. Based on his work I chose my project to document the organisms of the Morosa region as well as detailing ruin structures. I'd hoped to merely show a link between the two and prove to my parents that I can handle research in icy regions, but things took an unexpected turn of events. I am still unsure as to exactly what happened in Morosa during those few days and am unsure whether I ever will understand what happened."


	2. Chapter 2

Roughly around 11am flight SA2304 travelling from Sinnoh touched down on the runway. It was early spring and the weak northern sun had begun to melt the snow from the lowlands. With the snowmelt came flocks of tourists and hikers, flying in on cheap flights to take advantage of the region's beautiful but fleeting summer months.   
Jennie dragged herself through customs and security, pushing through the throng of tourists, into the pale, cold light that filled the taxi rank outside the airport. As she waited for a free taxi she reached into her bag and pulled out a slightly scuffed Pokéball; pressing the central button to release it's contents.  
" See, it's nice and cold here just like I said," she bent down to talk to the young Sneasel that had materialised on the pavement. " Come on hop up, and you can sit in my hood."   
Behind her she heard a sharp intake of breath, turning to see a thin, sinewy woman with greying hair.   
" That animal is dangerous and it will kill you one day!" the woman exclaimed.   
Behind her an Espurr clung to her leg, it held its hands in small fists as though touching things was painful. Jennie had read about such owners; afraid of their Pokémon, they would get them declawed or defanged, at great physical pain to the animal. It made them weaker and tamer but they grew fearful of their owner.  
" My Sneasel knows I would never hurt her and I trust that she will never hurt me" Jennie retorted defensively, reaching up to tickle the cat like Pokémon with her right hand.   
The woman's eye twitched as she looked at Jennie's hand; it was covered in fine scratches criss-crossed with thick, puckered scars, her eyes finally settled on the missing tip of Jennie's middle finger and wrinkled her nose in disgust.  
" I didn't get these from her if that is what you are wondering," Jennie snapped, " Now if you don't mind my taxi is here."   
~~~~  
In the taxi Jennie rubbed the stump of her finger as she felt herself slipping into guilt over her Sneasel. Once at the hotel she unloaded her luggage into the cosy beige room in quiet contemplation. Something about the lifeless feel of the room sent her mind back to the months after that event, dredging up fresh memories that she would rather have forgotten.  
She flopped onto the bed and sunk her head into her hands, breathing slowly through the gaps between her fingers. Rummaging in her bag Sneasel dug out another Pokéball, this one a polished luxury ball, and pushed on the central button. A pure white icy Ninetails emerged from the ball and placed his head onto his owners lap. Slowly Jennie began to pet the soft fur between his eyes as she brought herself back to the room. The Ninetails wiggled his head further into her lap and looked up at Jennie as he gently wagged his tails.  
" No, you're right I can't sit around and mope, it took me long enough to arrange this trip. I need to get going whilst we still have some daylight." She smiled, picking up her bag and returning the two Pokémon to their balls.  
~~~~  
Stonewell was a small town hidden in the lower lying foothills of the Saxo mountains on the border with Kalos. The town itself held an odd mix of traditional wooden chalets and concrete, boxed hotels left over from the brief tourist boom the town enjoyed shortly after the region opened up to outsiders. Connecting each narrow street was a series of open red-brick plazas decorated with fountains and flowers. Locals and tourists passed slowly through each plaza, slowed in their commute by their peaceful atmosphere.   
The afternoon air was beginning to take on a chill when Jennie reached the outskirts of the town. This area was charmingly known as the Floette district, after the Floettes scattered amongst the windowsill flower beds. Floating around in all their forms clutching delicate alpine flowers as well as the larger pansies that they were known for in Kalos. Surrounded by these Floettes Jennie stumbled across the equipment wholesaler she was looking for. Obscured by a thick wooden porch covered in snow, the small shop could not have looked more closed. Approaching the door, Jennie noticed the three carvings above the door, each was circular with lines jutting out at different places. The two on the outside had pairs of lines drawn off the upper and lower half, but the central one seemed to have a circle and semi circle balanced at the very top of the largest bottom circle. The central symbol had been carved and burnt into the wood, unlike the other two which had been drawn on with a permanent marker.  
Inside the shop the shelves of axes, rope and warm clothes were poorly lit with a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. Ceiling tiles littered the floor and across one wall a large bookcase carrying travel guides stood half empty, it's contents strewn across the floor. Behind the counter thin streams of light escaped the edge of a heavy looking storeroom door.  
" Hello? Is anyone here at the moment? I came to pick up my order," Jennie asked to the empty shop.  
The heavy door slung open and crashed against the wall it opened through.  
" Oh my, I'm so sorry about the mess, what was the name it is under?" The shopkeeper asked.  
He was a small balding man whose hunched body belied the youthful glint in his eyes. Although his body seemed to protest at every movement, he gave the impression that it had once held an immense strength.  
" Erm Wright, or Jennie Wright, I can't remember which I gave over the phone." Jennie shrugged.  
" Lets see.... Wright, Wright.. ah! it should be in the storeroom out back," He replied shuffling into the other room to check the shelves.  
" Er... Hey, What happened in here, it looks like you got robbed."  
" Heh? No. Just some vandals looking to mess the place up, if they took something they didn't take anything I put in this shop. They drew them circles out front though, although I guess they still fit together looks wise."   
He returned to the desk with a large box covered in stamps and stickers denoting the original locations of the gear inside and who they were to be returned to once the rental was finished. Slowly the old shopkeeper pulled items out of the box; 3 knives (1 for rope , 1 for ice and 1 for various use), 2 pickaxes, various small pieces of scientific equipment and several special Pokémon coats and shoes designed to allow non ice types to survive Morosa's harsh weather. From beneath the desk he then pulled several metres of tough blue polypropylene rope and a compact tent bag.   
" And that will be..... nothing!" The man joked mischievously. " But that's because you paid ahead."  
He scrunched his shoulders a little and leant onto the counter giggling to himself. "Anything else I can help with?"   
" Um... Yeah, actually. I was wondering what the symbols on the door mean? Like are they bad?" Jennie asked.  
" Well as for the central one, that's a protection symbol made for the shop by one of the local women. She says the symbol used to be used by the ancient culture of Moroza to protect their important buildings. Personally, I'm not sure it works anymore but it's nice to know that someone thinks my shop is important, you know." He smiled. "As for the other two I'm not so sure, but I think they might relate to the legends of giant Pokémon in Morosa. But then what region doesn't have colossal god Pokémon in them, so I'm not too worried about what it could all mean."   
The man shrugged his shoulders and smirked. " Almost makes me want to head out and find them but I have things to do and clearly that's a young man's job.... Can I get you anything else dear?"  
" No, that's it, thanks." Jennie bundled up the gear, releasing Ninetails and an Empoleon to help her carry the bags out of the shop.  
~~~~

The Golden Augern was as unimpressive on the outside as its dull, beige interiors, with a simple faux wooden front that joined concrete walls on every other side. It's only redeeming feature was the gold statue that sat outside the front of the entrance depicting a small fox like creature. It sat facing the adjoining plaza, it's large ears pointed towards the very centre seeming to listen to the noise it was surrounded by.  
As Jennie turned the corner into the plaza she was confronted by a wall of people. Over the murmurs of the crowd she heard a man giving a speech through a loud speaker, it's garbled message being along the lines of a sermon. Pushing through the crowds, uniformed people handed out piles of flyers. Cautiously Jennie thanked one of them for the flyer; a flashy sheet of embossed paper preaching a message of proper Pokémon training. At the bottom of the flyer a sentence thanked the viewer for "reading this message from ESA". A cold shiver went up Jennie's spine; as a child Team Galactic had ravaged her hometown in Sinnoh, stealing Pokémon and almost destroying the world by invoking the Sinnoh Creation Trio. So, instinctively she clutched her bag a little tighter than before to feel the comforting plastic of her Pokéballs. Behind her Ninetails gently nudged Jennie to comfort her, the shock of which tightened her grip on her bag. Inside her bag she heard the soft click of a release button and a few seconds her Sneasel hopped out of her bag and brandished its claws in happiness.   
Around the Sneasel the crowd leapt away in shock and fear, eager to get away from a "dangerous" Pokémon. The crowd started to shout and get riled up, sending the small Sneasel into a wide-eyed panic.   
" Sneasel its ok, I'm here... You can sit in my hood, OK?" Jennie held out her hand to the young animal.   
Nose twitching Sneasel climbed onto Jennie's arm and allowed itself to be lifted up towards Jennie's head. Once safe in the hood it pressed it's back to Jennie's neck and began to fall asleep.  
Looking back towards the crowd Jennie noticed people beginning to part to make way for a man. He was of an impressive build, heavy set and muscular, with deep scars across his face that continued underneath a leather eye-patch over his left eye. He was dressed in a tightly fitting black suit trimmed with gold thread and embroidered with an ornate golden logo that looked like an 8 broken once at the top. Behind the man trailed two large Honchkrow walking in perfect unison quietly bickering amongst themselves.   
" I'm sorry to startle you ma'am but I was just told about the bond between you and your Sneasel. It's nice to see trainers who appreciate Pokémon that others would train for brutal fights. My name is Odin, and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance," He reached out his right hand and smiled cheerfully.  
" Erm... I'm Jennie," She said, offering her hand to shake his.   
Odin glanced at down at her right hand and at the scaring that ran along her forearm and onto her hand.   
" Perhaps we at ESA could help you in some way," He said gesturing to her arm.  
Self consciously she drew her sleeve down to cover her arm.  
" No, It's not like that, this was my fault and now I have to live with it," She muttered stroking Sneasel, who had decided to stretch out across her shoulders.  
" My apologies, I meant no insult by it... " He paused to think. "At the very least let us warn you about the Pokémon in the forest around Stonewell. Here, it's no real way to apologise but it's a flyer about the Ignifur family. They are a stunning sight but extremely dangerous. They are native to this area so there should be a few Ignitulus just outside of town. Ignitulus should be safe enough to be around but don't touch them until you have the proper training and do NOT approach any of their older stages of life," He warned, casting off his amicable personality to appear serious. " Just don't walk through the forest at night."  
He handed over a vastly over detailed flier for the animal, turned on his heel and left, prompting the rally crew to start packing up their equipment.  
~~~~  
Following Odin's advice Jennie hurried through town to reach the very edge of the pine forest. From her spot paths into the woods split off in all directions and quickly disappeared in the gloom of the understory. Small patches of playful light illuminated the path in parts as they appeared from the shadows. As they got closer the lights become small kitten shapes, striped in alternating patterns of fire and darkness. They played sweetly in the thin covering of snow that lay a few feet into the forest, leaving streaks of unmelted snow between each hot stripe. As they played, floating masks above their backs giggled in childlike wonder.   
As the sun began to dip below the horizon each kitten ceased playing and slowly began to look up towards Jennie, the masks tipping up until they were vertical and close to eye level with Jennie. Their playful smile melting into a cold grimace. Without looking back Jennie, along with Empoleon and Ninetails, ran back to the hotel, locking the door firmly once she was inside her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Additional note from Jennie: Research into the legends behind these creatures in Monmouth brought up numerous legends of these Pokémon stealing the souls of children to fuel their growth. With enough souls a second mask would form allowing the Pokémon to reach the next stage of its evolution. It's no wonder that the local children in Stonewell are told never to play in the forest until they reach a certain age.]


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennie receives a brutal lesson about life in Morosa and meets two more of Morosa's Pokemon  
> WARNING: Descriptions of a fight are in this chapter, depending on opinion it could seem a little graphic. (Gore Warning: Blood)

Early the next morning Jennie woke up refreshed and raring to go. Stonewell had its charms in its faux traditional setting but there was little to do beside sightseeing. The local Pokémon, ordinary Pidoves and Raticates, collecting behind the many restaurants in droves. They displayed no kind of regional variation other than excessive fat reserves, collected from eating mountains of junk food that tourists fed them. As she hurried happily through town Jennie saw these Pokémon waddling content through the back streets, constantly searching for their next meal.  
At the edge of town she stopped briefly by the edge of the forest and searched between the trees. Fresh snowfall had covered up the melted stripes from the previous night and hidden all trace of the existence of the Ignitulus. She understood now why all of the papers she had read on the animals had described them as the ghosts of the conifer forests.  
~~~~  
A few days later, Jennie lay in her tent at night and allowed her mind to drift, feeling safe and warm in the closeness of the canopy. All was quiet except for the wind through the pine needles and the occasional soft noises of icy Noctowls. Suddenly a feeling of foreboding shot up her spine as around her the forest was plunged into complete silence, followed by a piercing scream. From deep in the woods an animal made a low growl, the sound rumbling like thunder. Worried of an attack Jennie released Ninetails and Sneasel to guard her before slipping into an uneasy sleep.  
~~~~  
The next day Jennie found clues about the strange screaming. Barely 20m from her camp she found a bloodied backpack, ripped into shreds by long claws. Scattered all around the backpack were tufts of orange and black fur and patches of burnt grass. Further on she found rags of clothing and haphazardly strewn items like keys and a broken compass.   
Finally, she came to a small clearing that bore the marks of a battle; pine needles kicked up in long ruts, the smell of burnt sap and dirt lingering in the air. Embedded in the trees were the remnants of hardened seeds and sharp rocks, in some parts breaking the bark away from the soft inner layers of the tree trunk. As Jennie entered the clearing the stench of burnt flesh hit her, making her double over and retch. Crumpled in the far left hand side of the clearing was a withered flower, all of its petals singed and dry. It was difficult to tell what it was under the thick layer of ash but it looked like a Sunflora. Jennie had had little experience with the flower Pokémon but she had read that their petals were meant to feel like warm silk; under her touch the singed petals disintegrated into a fine powder.  
Walking towards the centre of the clearing she tripped over a stone driven into the scorched ground.   
"Shit, ow," Jennie said aloud rubbing her ankle.  
Shuffling towards the stone, she dug it out and pulled it into the light to look at it.   
"HOLY ARCEUS?!" Jennie shouted, jumping out of her skin.  
The stone was about half a metre long and wider at one end and despite missing most of its limbs it had the unmistakable nose of a Nosepass. Thick cracks ran all the way through the small Pokémon's body, at parts the internal structure of the Nosepass showing through. Horrified and fascinated Jennie picked up the Nosepass to peer inside. Latticed inside were huge crystals of amethyst, pale at the edges but in the very centre of the creature were crystals as dark as the night sky and glittering like thousands of tiny stars.   
Looking up from the animal, she saw a break in the trees where the undergrowth had been flattened and matted together in red brown splashes. Carefully she made her way over to the break, releasing Empoleon to watch her back.   
Just off of the clearing Jennie stopped in fear. The floor of the clearing was thick with bracken, a small mound of it taking up most of the left side of the clearing. But surrounding her on almost every tree were spatters of blood, one tree soaked from a particular branch down. On this branch an old, battle worn Shuckle had been impaled, stored as future food by its unknown assailant. It had been left on the branch whilst still alive as strings of webbing hung down from its mouth intact. Hand over her mouth and tears streaming from her eyes Jennie approached the bracken mound and pulled away some of the fronds. Beneath the pile was the broken body of a young man covered in fragments of Shuckle silk, his face seemingly peaceful despite his state of being. In life he would have been an attractive man, Jennie thought to herself, looking at his soft hazel eyes and relatively athletic upper body. Able to climb mountains and escape danger with only a little trouble. At least, until he was attacked, and lost the use of his legs and life.   
Jennie carefully gathered up the man's Pokémon and laid them alongside him, putting extra care into arranging them.   
She felt a soft tap on her shoulder and looked up to see her Empoleon staring intently at the woods ahead of her. He let out a short warning jet of water, which sizzled into vapour in the darkness. Out of the gloom came the low growl Jennie had heard the previous night, followed by two reflective eyes.   
An Ignifur stalked out of the trees towards Jennie. Just like its younger form it was orange with dark fiery stripes, the two stripes under its eyes glowing with a soft orange glow. Floating above its back were two masks, larger and more imposing than those that Jennie had seen on the Ignitulus at the edge of Stonewell. Their eye holes dripped with a strange black substance that made them appear to cry, yet they made a noise like laughter. Behind her Empoleon reared its head back, roaring at full volume, before releasing a full strength blast of water. The forceful jet of water hitting the cat and sending it flying. Swiftly the Empoleon gathered Jennie into its wings and ran from the clearing.   
~~~~  
That night Jennie slept fitfully, the image of the crying masks dancing before her in her dreams. In the periods of wakefulness she became alert at every noise.   
The next morning she awoke tired and on edge, eager to reach the open plains near the first large ruins in Morosa. Packing up camp with bleary eyes, more than one item had to be pushed into her pack by one of her Pokémon. The edge of the forest was less than a day's walk from her camp and already the trees were beginning to thin a little in places. With the added light the forest became a much more inviting place, and the fear of attack began to creep out of her mind.   
She neared the very edge of the forest by early evening and the events of the previous day were beginning to feel more like a horrible dream. Protected by the last few trees she found a peaceful Ignifelis laying in the snow. Climbing on top of her were her very young Ignitulus pups. They were tiny and round with soft fur, loosing half of their body size when they crashed into each other. At such a young age they didn't yet have any characteristic masks.   
Their mother was a magnificent animal, about four metres long from nose to tail and would have stood at about metre and a half tall. She was sturdily built with huge paws and a long fluffy tail that made up most of her body length. Around her several eyeless masks kept watch for movement. Jennie crouched down hidden by the trees and stayed a while to watch her. The animal had recently killed a winter Sawsbuck for her cubs and was taking great care to gently clean each of them up after their feed, holding the tiny cubs in her huge paws and tenderly cleaning their faces. After a while she made a soft chirping sound that caused all of the cubs to run over her and huddle into their mother's stomach. Curling her tail around them, the Ignifelis stoked her stripes to release more fire, settled her square head onto her paws and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Additional note from Jennie: Several days later I came upon a missing persons notice for the hiker I found. His name was Pierre Franklin and had been travelling north towards the Kyrassi mountains when he was attacked. The proper authorities were notified of where I found his body, I'm not sure whether they ever found it as the police officer in charge of the search blithely mentioned that this sort of thing happens often in Morosa]


	4. Chapter 4

Beyond the forest the land opened out to a wide, snow clad plain. In patches the snow was beginning to thin with the spring sun and strong green shoots were pushing their way through the frosted ground. In the summer months the area was lush with grasses that grew as tall as a man and, in only a few weeks, the ground would be carpeted in soft scented wildflowers. Stantler and Sawsbuck would flock to these grounds later in the year to rut and to fatten up for the long winter. On that morning, hopping through the patches of snow were flocks of colourful birds, stopping every now and then to raise the plumes on their head and squawk at the sky. Circling these birds were much smaller, chubbier versions; soft and round with fluffy down. They were attempting to bury their heads into the snow to find food amongst the frosted mud, both kinds of birds standing out against the stark white background in bright orange plumage. The tattered guide book Jennie had borrowed from her dad explained that they were Upapa, migratory birds that spent the summer months in Morosa breeding. The playful chicks were Epops, young Upapa that had been carried by their parents on the migration so that they could feast on the plentiful food during the summer months in the north. Jennie ignored the birds and continued on towards Ashvale.  
Barely ten minutes later Jennie was halted by a huge flock of Upapa covering every patch of land. Some had taken to sitting on the roof of a small stone structure, coating the pale blue stone in white droppings. Panicked by Jennie's appearance the birds took flight as one body of beating wings, settling back on the ground mere metres from where they started.  
" Silly birds," Jennie shook her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The small stone structure was merely a doorway, protecting the insides of the structure from snowfall. Inside, the ruins were calm with dappled sunlight seeping through the gaps in the carved ceiling. Each stone block was about waist height and interlocked together via a series of grooves and metal pins, the edges of each wall smoothed and polished to what would have been a mirror shine. Intricate knotted patterns spread from the doorway and enticed Jennie further into the structure. Peering into the dark from the entrance she saw the floor drop off and begin to slope deep into the ground. She released Sneasel, switched on her torch and stepped into the structure.   
In front of her was a long staircase, each step and portion of hand rail rounded at the edge from use. Each side of the staircase were huge carvings of the local Pokémon. Some were stylised into a series of cruder lines but others were carved deep into the slightly blue stone. These Pokémon were formed of curving knots and lines, telling stories of sightings and hunts. At the base of the steps the carvings leapt up onto the roof of the small end chamber. The chamber was small, about 4 metres square, but every inch of the walls were covered in images. In the centre of the chamber stood a thick, triangular supporting column with the flat of each side facing a wall and the point facing the stairs. On each side of the column spanned a different single carving. Jennie felt her heart rate slow, as though the very atmosphere of the sacred room was causing time to pause.   
She stepped round to the left of the column. Here the column face had a stylised boxy animal with huge tusks or teeth coming from its lower jaw much like an Emboar. Waving lines emanated from the animal, cutting into the snake like text around the image. Jennie had seen writing like this before; many ruins in Sinnoh were annotated with the Unown dialect, which could be translated into English with only some difficulty. However this snake like text was new to her. With mild annoyance she turned around to face the main wall.   
Carved into it was a stylised person, their arms held around their waist, their Hands locked into a strange position. The majority of their fingers met in the middle but the two index fingers were pointed down like fangs. The figure themselves was hooded so that none of their face could be seen and the rest of their body shape shrouded in a long cloak. More snake text surrounded them. Yet around the edges of the drawing Unown glyphs had been carved. The glyphs translated part of the text and had been hastily scrawled into the stone.   
" Protector or statue of before? watch over the pig or boar of hot" Jennie read aloud. " Make any sense to you Sneasel?"  
The Pokémon blinked twice before shaking its head.   
Retracing her steps Jennie walked round to the opposite side of the column. On this side the column had a diamond bodied bird carved into it with lines curling off the feathers. This time the snake writing was carved into the wake of the bird, using most of the same patterns of symbols as the other half of the room. Watching over this animal was another hooded figure, their arms held above their head, hands pressed into a flower shape. More Unown text had been scratched around the hands.   
" Protector of the end, watch over the bird of dark"  
Sneasel pressed itself against Jennies leg, tugging on her to leave the chamber.   
" Please Sneasel, only a little longer, then I promise we will leave."   
Slowly she walked towards the back wall, dragging a hand along the stone walls to feel the grooves beneath her fingers. Deep inside she felt a pull on her, enticing her towards the motifs.   
The back wall was nothing special, another cloak with hands rested at chest level.   
" 'Protector of now or day, watch over the no shape', What on earth do they mean by ' the no shape'? Given the other walls, I'm guessing it's on the central column." Jennie thought aloud.  
The final wall of the column was smooth bar a few etched knots, curved in an arch over the top of the column Unown runes said ' Touch and be shaped'. Tentatively Jennie reached out her hand and placed it onto the wall, it was cool under her palm and gently pulsed.   
Suddenly a hot pain shot through her body, as though she were being burnt by thousands of hot coals. Images flashed before her eyes of huge creatures, shining intensely in the sun though rusted by years of frosting and thawing. Cycles of burning heat and crippling cold shook her to her core. Eventually the pain began to ebb away as she saw the image of a pair of amber eyes staring through her. Panting Jennie opened her eyes and rapidly blinked, trying to wash away the eyes with their horizontal pupils. She stood there and caught her breath, resting her head against the pillar with her eyes closed.   
The pain in her wrists and hands slowly brought her back into the chamber where a terrified Sneasel was quivering between her legs.   
"Oh Sneasel! I'm so sorry, you must be terrified." Jennie sat back against the chamber wall, " I'm ok now, don't worry, I won't leave you."  
She held out her hands to the animal, who gladly leapt into Jennies lap and curled up in it. Turning her hands around she noticed the black banding on her wrists and the symbol tattooed onto her right hand, it was a sharper version of the broken 8 on the ESA jackets, diamond shaped with sharp end prongs. Jennie sighed as she buried her head into her hands.  
"What have I gotten myself into?" She asked the Sneasel, " I thought the days of over the top adventures existed only in fairy tales."  
She tried to laugh but it felt empty all alone in the chamber. She curled one arm around the sleeping animal and stared into the middle distance.

~~~~~~~~  
He paced around the table with his hands held behind his back.  
"Just repeat it for me one more time." He said, pausing to look out the darkened window at the street some 20 floors below.  
" My research suggests that _It_ is linked to the carvings we've found across Morosa, the ones of the three women. Look Odin, I know you don't want to think about the possibility of psychic binding but it may be the only chance we have of successfully controlling _It_." A neat man sat at the end of the table said.  
"Hold off on pursuing that thought for now Mimir, I want to wait until the tablets are in our possession. I won't rely on mere hearsay and ancient scribbles. Those tablets should allow you to translate the text and get us a little closer to all this ending. Frigga, when do they arrive?" Odin rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
" The shipment is due in tomorrow. But I want you to know that advise against this." Said the woman harshly.  
"Enough!" Odin snapped wearily, " I'm not backing down now, I do this for us. For everyone here. The sooner we destroy that piece of shit the sooner we can live normal lives, put everything behind us."   
" Odin, Please. This won't change anything, if we stop now we can use what we have learnt elsewhere." The woman pleaded.  
" She's right Odin. Realistically, I can't see any way of this working out." The man said, pushing his glasses up his nose.  
" Both of you need to buck up, we need to find the triad. That is your _only_ duty, assign the others as you see fit. That is all." Odin turned to face the window.  
" Odin, see reason-" The woman sighed.  
" No Frigga, you see reason, that Bastard Westington ruined our lives. He deserves everything that we have planned for him. " Odin snapped angrily.  
" You are getting wrapped up in your own rage." The other man calmly said.  
" Well it's a good thing I don't need anything else, now get out of my sight."   
Frigga stood up and began to push the other man out the room.   
" Don't be the man Westington wants you to be Odin. Be the man you chose to be with the rest of us," Frigga said coldly.  
The two left the room, letting the door slam shut on the way out.  
Odin slumped down into his chair with a sigh.  
"What if I am taking this too far?"   
He reached for a locket beneath his shirt and opened it, inside the oval case was a small photograph of a young girl. She was beaming at the camera with a gap toothed smile. He had cut the photo out of a much larger one many years ago so the edges had become frayed and dog eared.   
" Should I stop?" He asked the portrait, " If you were here you would know what to do. But I do this for you old friend, the others don't understand but I do this for them too."   
Behind his eyes he felt his eyes prick with tears.  
" I miss you Esa," He blurted, feeling the tears well up over his eyelids and pouring onto his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Ashvale sat on the northern coast of Morosa, just far enough south to be accessible all year round by large vessels. The cool waters upwelling from deep chasms offshore brought waves of nutrients to the shore line, and for many years the rich and bountiful waters had sustained a large and healthy fishing industry in Ashvale, despite the near permanent ice field that lurked just a few hundred metres off the edge of the water. Strong, cold winds blew down from the very north, providing power to the huge triangular sails of the fishing fleet. These winds had stripped the surrounding land of all but the most hardy of gorse and heather so that the town was visible from miles around. The buildings here were made of various materials, houses standing until they had become too damaged by fierce storms, and each one built softly rounded to deflect the blows of the wind.   
Ashvale had a single central high street from which all houses and buildings were built along. At the end of the street lay the dockyards and the harbour wall. Small and large vessels rocked in the gentle swell as the huge stone harbour walls bore the brunt of the tide. Rickety pontoons spread out across the entire harbour in a complex maze, with huge vessels tied to the harbour wall itself, with the smaller vessels sheltered near the shore. A rough pebble beach lay either side of the dock access that was covered in equipment set aside for mending.   
Jennie breathed in the brisk air and wrinkled her face, the stench of rotting fish wafted off of the beach, covering any smell from the cargo that was being off loaded next to her. Walking out onto the cobbles she found her foot crunching into the beach, into the skeletons of hundreds of fish. The corpses lay in a thick mat at the high tidal mark, a stark white line against the dark pebbles. Using a stick Jennie separated one of the skeletons from the mass. Huge fine rods extended from the back, side and tail that were barely thicker than a pine needle. Many of the rods had been snapped or bent, presumably whilst the animal was alive, Jennie thought.   
" That there stranger is a Proelius skeleton. A fine fish, in taste and looks, wouldn't like to fight one though," an old woman sitting at the top of the beach called down to Jennie.  
The woman was small, pinched and bird like and radiated warmth from her smile, like a happy russian doll bundled in a huge red parker jacket. Beside her was a large wicker basket into which she was slowly loading perfectly smooth pebbles.  
"It doesn't look like a fighter, what with all these spines, and it looks like there wouldn't be much meat on it either." Jennie replied back, hooking the fish by its eye socket to get a better look at it.  
" Them fish don't like others in their homes, see? Shame there's too many of 'em in the water, they can't help but fight. Tide brings what's left of 'em into the harbour and dumps 'em here." The old lady mused, " Stinks the place to buggery!"  
She laughed softly and began to stand up.  
" Say, have you got somewhere to stay tonight? because I 'avent seen you round here and I wouldn't want a kind girl like yourself to be out and about this evening."   
" Erm, no, ma'am, not yet, I was hoping to get a room in the hotel this evening. And besides I wouldn't want to be a burden." Jennie smiled.  
" Then you'll 'ave great difficulty doing that Miss, hotels are always booked up on this night, and besides they'll be keeping a few rooms aside to help stragglers. Please I insist." The woman nervously tweaked her face into a smile.  
" Erm, I don't know Ma'am, I would have to think about it first." Jennie replied.  
"Well if you take me up on my offer, my name is Doris and my house is the little blue wooden one about halfway up the street." She smiled sweetly and begun to hobble back up the street, clutching the basket of pebbles she had been collecting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Jennie got to the small market stalls were already beginning to pack up their goods. Hurrying over to the grocer Jennie grew curious about the rush.   
" Hi, What can I get you today Miss?" The grocer asked with a hand on his hip.  
" Errr, I'll have a pound of apples, one of bananas and oh the same of cherries please, " Jennie asked, " Hey, what's going on this evening? Why is everyone packing up their stalls so early?"  
The grocers body tensed and his shoulders lowered, for a moment he glanced down at the floor and shuffled awkwardly.  
"It's the red tide Miss, no-one wants to be outside then, at least unless they got a death wish. And before you ask any more questions, we don't like talking about that outside. It's not safe nor polite. Now that will be 10,000 Pokédollar," He stared Jennie down with burning eyes, " Now it's going to get dark soon, I recommend finding a place to spend the night, since the hotel will be full now."  
He quickly gave Jennie her bags before beginning to throw crates into the back of his produce van as fast as he could.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
With no choice Jennie walked up the road to the old woman's house. She found it easily enough. It carried the same simple wooden slat style of the other nearby homes but had been painted a soft duck egg blue. Stepping off the street and through the small wrought iron gate she found herself in a tiny but well loved front garden filled with decorative shrubs in neat little borders. Piled up against the front wall was a small pile of chopped wood, kept dry by the overhanging porch. Jennie knocked on the door and waited patiently as she listened to the older woman slowly removing all the locks from the door. Gently the door opened to the old lady, who inspected Jennie for a second before a moment of recollection passed over her face.  
" Ooooh hello Dearie, come in, come in. Just put your stuff down next to old Mira. The kettle is just boiling so sit down and get warm." Doris smiled as she re-bolted each and every lock on the heavy wooden door, " Actually Dear, could you get the top deadbolt for me, it's been a while since I have been able to reach it and it would bring me a lot of comfort knowing the door was firmly locked."   
Once Jennie finished with the bolt she turned around to take in the front room of the house. It was small but cosy, painted in a warm auburn colour with every surface draped in thick soft throws. To the very back she could just see a narrow kitchen complete with a polished white range cooker and rows of shining copper coloured pans. Nestled against the right wall was a large, round wood burning stove, atop which sat a large kettle that was gently simmering away. Around every other wall were stacks of shelves covered in old fishing hooks and pieces of boat equipment. Mira was an aged Torkoal who was sat in a concrete bed in the near left corner near the stairs. She was sleeping with heavy breaths and twitched every now and then in her dream. Above her was a glass cabinet full of delicately arranged smoking pipes.   
" Have the pipes caught your eye my dear? They belonged to my husband, rest 'is soul. When 'e died dear Mira wouldn't move from the mantelpiece where 'e kept 'em, silly old reptile. " Doris shook her head wistfully, " But you don't want to be bored by my old musings, come away from the door and sit over here, the red tide will begin soon and I don't want you near the door."   
Slowly the kettle began to whistle and shake around on the stove.   
"Tea dear?"  
" That would be great thank you. "   
Doris slowly poured the hot water into each mug and dropped a tea bag into both before bringing it over to the coffee table. She had already placed a saucer, a small jug of milk and some spoons out. Gratefully Jennie took the mug and warmed her hands with the soft warmth of the porcelain. As she took a quick sip she saw Doris stare at the door as an eerie quiet hushed the normal sounds of the sea. From beyond the waves came a long, deep moaning and a hushed crying noise. Ice crept up the window panes, waking the sleeping Torkoal, who rushed over to her companion with surprising speed. Pre-emptively Jennie released Ninetails who began to growl at the door. Outside mist thickened until Jennie could see nothing but white. Occasionally she heard the sound of dragging chains and wood. Then came the eyes. Blood red and glowing with anger. They streamed past the windows in jerky, awkward movements as though they were swaying with an invisible tide.  
" It has begun." Doris whispered as the front door began to rattle, " But don't worry dear, that door has held them off for many years without fail. Oh my, in all this rush I never asked your name."  
" Er-er-er-er Jennie." Jennie stuttered, taken aback by the old lady's sudden calmness. " What is going on? What the hell are they?"   
" This is the red tide, the night where we must remember our mistakes."  
" But- What? How?"  
Doris sighed, "well, I suppose it won't hurt to tell you..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Long ago the town was even more prosperous than its modern day port, they were famous for hauls of Delcaedes, huge animals with streamlined bodies and triangular fins. The creatures provided work for entire families, fathers and sons would haul entire Delcaedes from the water and bring them to their wives and daughters on the harbour wall where they would cut away the fleshy fins and discard the rest of the animal, still living into the waters just outside of the harbour. As the town grew more drastic measures were taken and the Delcaedes were herded into bays just around the corner from the town where the fishermen would collect the fins on mass, leaving the animals to drown.   
But overtime the numbers dwindled until the hunt could only happen on one day of the year. Eventually the fishing had to stop, no Delcaedes could be found and the hunt had to be called off early.   
The morning after the failed hunt a thick fog rolled into the town along with the cries of thousands of the animals. The fishermen debated setting out into the fog until the sun had begun to touch the horizon. One young man volunteered to look and set out in a small row boat equipped with the brightest light. Hours passed and the number of people waiting out the night dwindled until dawn when only the man's wife remained behind. As the sun rose over the horizon the fog began to clear. Drifting battered into the harbour was the row boat, washed in on a tide thick with red blood. To the woman's horror she found her husband inside the boat, dismembered and struggling for breath against the pain and blood loss. At his feet all of his limbs had been carefully arranged into the basket he had intended to use for the Delcaedes.   
Enraged the fishermen set out with the encroaching fog of sunset that evening to gain retribution for the young man. Again their vessels returned with the fog's retreat at dawn. Limbs torn off and arranged in the same way.   
With the sunset of the third day the fog rolled further into town and brought the Delcaedes. With them they brought water, flooding the town with a great sticky red wave. They watched for movement and dragged all who touched the water down into it, drowning them in blood. For the rest of the night the citizens of Ashvale cowered in their homes, praying that the waters would recede and leave their loved ones unharmed.  
It did not.  
The tide ebbed with the rising sun, revealing each murdered townsperson. Some had been mutilated in the same way as the men on the boats; Others were tangled in fishing nets and traps, their lips blue from asphyxiation. Most had been drained of every drop of blood in their body, helping to fuel the surge of the tide.   
The next year, on the anniversary of the first red tide the Delcaedes surged back into town to repeat the slaughter. Taking any who had not learnt their lesson from the previous year. The Delcaedes returned every year after that until the residents of Ashvale had learnt to lock their doors and hide inside for one night of the year.  
[Excerpt from Jennie's notes: The Delcaedes don't take a single similar form like many other Pokémon. They appear to take the form of many different species or many different death methods. Peering through the upstairs window I was able to make a few rough sketches of the animals and some of them do seem to be missing their fins. However they seem to have replaced them with disturbing ghostly versions of them. I fear for what some of the other animals in Morosa are like if the field guide I am using rates them as a least concern dangerous animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Excerpt from Jennie's notes: The Delcaedes don't take a single form like many other Pokémon. They appear to take the form of many different species with many different death methods. Peering through the upstairs window I was able to make a few rough sketches of the animals and some of them do seem to be missing their fins. However they seem to have replaced them with disturbing ghostly versions of them. I'm afraid of what some of the other animals in Morosa are like if the field guide I am using rates them as a least concern dangerous animal.]


	6. Chapter 6

With the rising sun, the sounds and moans of the Delcaedes began to ebb away from the town and it's inhabitants were beginning to wake and clear up after the night. Jennie woke up from a mound of blankets Doris had provided for her, even though of them had been dragged onto the floor by her Ninetales and moulded into a soft, cosy nest to sleep in. Downstairs the older woman was in the kitchen humming happily as she pushed the frying pan around the hob, pausing every now and then to toss the contents into the air.   
" Jennie, dear. Breakfast is ready," She called up the stairs.  
She smiled as she heard the shuffling footsteps hop out of bed and hurry towards the landing.  
"We haven't heard that in a while Mira, have we?" She turned towards the Torkoal who let out a happy sigh.   
Jennie appeared in the doorway smiling at the smell.  
" Good Morning Doris, Can I help you with anything?" Jennie asked, her hand resting on Ninetales head.  
" Just grab the plates and come eat. And let your Pokémon eat too," Doris hobbled out of the kitchen towards the large wooden table.  
Sat on the plates were mounds of pancakes and bacon drizzled with maple syrup still warm from the pan. In several small bowls on the floor the old woman had set out enough food for an army of Pokémon, which Jennie gratefully used after running upstairs to grab her Pokémon.   
"I guess it's safe enough to let you out too," She said to a Pokéball in her hand, " Come on out then Pachirisu."   
The small white squirrel hopped around a little when it felt the cold linoleum against its paws but slowly settled when it saw the rest of its friends.   
"Eat up little man, Let's get you big and strong" Jennie smiled at it.  
Remembering the plates she grabbed them and quickly rushed over to the table where Doris was waiting patiently.   
" My house isn't that big so I hope you didn't get lost," Doris laughed.  
" Not at all, I was just wary about letting out one of them. I wasn't sure how he would cope with the new surroundings. But thank you so much for the food, you really didn’t have to"  
" Nonsense! It's my pleasure, It's been a while since I had guests and I'm always happy to host." She said between mouthfuls.   
Bounding across the room, Pachirisu leapt over to Jennie and hopped up into her lap to try and get at her breakfast. Growing ever more impatient it buried its head into Jennie's chest and squeaked for food.  
"You must be the little nervous one then," Doris cooed, " Ooh he is adorable. You have nothing to worry about here little one."  
Doris offered a slither of pancake to the animal below the table, tentatively it jumped onto the floor and accepted her offering.  
" I thought you said he was nervous, but just look at him go," Doris gestured at the Pachirisu who was cautiously sniffing the Torkoal.  
" Yeah, he's doing great at the moment."   
" Then what's with all this talk about nervousness?" Doris shook her head.  
" My brother found him outside his gym, all beaten up and abandoned. My brother tried to train him but the little guy was just too anxious to cut it with the other Pokémon. So he gifted Patch to me, so there you go I guess," Jennie shrugged.  
" Hmm you've done a good job I think." Doris smiled sweetly. " Now about getting you back on your journey. What are your plans?"   
"I'm heading out into the ice flows, they aren't what I came here to see specifically but we don't have anything like them in Sinnoh."   
"Then you are in luck, yesterday an old friend of mine should have come into the harbour to stock up. I'm sure he would be happy to give you a tour of the bay if you helped out on his boat.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As Jennie walked toward the dock she caught glimpse of the townsfolk clearing up after the previous night. Many of them were scrubbing blood from the wooden planks on the houses with huge wire brushes held at arm's length, while others were solemnly placing the remnants of Pokémon caught out in the massacre into yellow plastic bags.  
The docks however, were lively, with sailors rushing from pontoon to pontoon. Jennie found the captain Doris had recommended to her at the far reaches of the harbour near the very mouth of the harbour walls. The man was tall, broad-shouldered and was issuing commands to his crew in a deep booming voice.   
"Excuse me, sir?" Jennie asked nervously.  
He turned around, looking for someone his height before looking down to find the anxious Jennie. His face was rough and weather-beaten with a broad nose and wide smile, all framed by dark black hair that was just beginning to turn white at the edges.   
"How can I help you miss?" He replied.  
"I was told that you might have a place on your ship for someone who wanted to see the ice flows."  
"That I do miss. But you'll be a part of the crew for the journey, I won't make you do anything you aren't skilled with so I'm afraid it will mostly be cleaning or helping to cook unless you have any prior boat work talents." He shrugged his shoulders and waved at an old Kingler that was ferrying boxes onto the deck of the boat. " But who recommended me? I must say I'm curious."  
" Doris Winters..."   
" Oh, I see..." The captain smirked. " Well then welcome abroad Miss....?"  
"Jennie Wright," She reached out and shook his outstretched hand.  
"Well Miss Wright, I'm Captain Jacob Conway and I would like to welcome you aboard my ship. Kingsley come over here and take Miss Wrights bags to her new quarters."  
The Kingler scuttled over to the Captains side and gently picked up Jennie's bags in its claws. It foamed a little at the mouth before hurrying up the gangway onto the ship.  
" We leave tonight Miss Wright at 8. Be there beforehand unless you want your bags to go on the trip without you."  
" Thank you so much sir, I'll see you before then." Jennie smiled as she headed off down the pontoon towards the cobble beach.  
" That girl had interesting tattoos, bets on whether she knows what they mean Carson?" The captain looked up at the man leaning over the handrail.   
" I ent no gamblin' man Cap, you know that. And it ent right to make bets like 'at, we all know them legends, we all know 'ow they end." The first mate said.   
The first mate was a much shorter man than the captain but no less intimidating to look at, with short hair, scarred skin and a muscular body.   
" 'nd she came recommended by old Dory no less. I wonder how your old flame is?"  
" Hey mind your tongue you, without her dumping me I would never have met you now would I?" He cooed at the first mate.  
" Jus' don't go all soft on the ice, ya squishy bastard. I ent being widowed by no water siren." Carson smirked.  
" You're just bitter that I would have to save your ass first." The Captain laughed as he walked up onto the ship to bundle Carson into a hug.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Down by the shore Jennie poked around in the rock pools that were scattered at the base of some small cliffs. Nearby her Pokémon were running across the beach, fighting over a long frond of kelp that had washed ashore and playing in the waves as they rolled onto the pebbled beach. Gently Jennie touched the small seaweed that swayed in the gentle ripples of the pool, almost leaping out of her skin when she felt the seaweed touch her back. Two small eyes peered out from the tangled mess of fronds and took in the sight of Jennie. The little creature stayed perfectly still as it watched, just gently mimicking the swaying of algae in a gentle current. Over on the beach, the fight was becoming more one-sided as Ninetales and Empoleon worked together to wrest the frond away from the much smaller Pachirisu and Sneasel team. Angry in their defeat the two small animals rushed over to Jennie to seek comfort. At the sight of the Sneasel the seaweed animal drew its fronds in and around its face, tightening the fronds until it looked like a tiny bud.  
" Oh Sneasel, you scared this little guy away." Jennie sighed, picking up the two small animals who were beginning to yawn.   
" Sleepy already? Come on then, let's head back to the boat for the night" She said, beckoning the larger animals to her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Note from Jennie: Janicysts are small animals who appear to look like little masses of kelp. I've always thought that they look a little bit like Tangela but none of the journals I've found suggest that they are related. The little creatures are relatively easy to care for and I've seen quite a few in the few pet shops I've seen in Morosa. I can't say I envy them being stuck as a fish tank decoration for most of their lives.]


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning note: Jennie freaks out a little in this chapter, also blood

That evening, on the turning of high tide, the captain pulled the boat out of the harbour. The rhythmic clanging of the engine soothing Jennie into a deep sleep. Her dreams were dark and murky, the feeling of an unknown being watching her seeping into every corner of them. In the dream she stood atop a small hill and was looking out over the wide open plains of Morosa. It was such a familiar site though she had never laid eyes on that ground. Surrounding her was destruction, to one side was a blinding light and the smell of burning, the other nothing but icy darkness. Looming over her was a huge giant, malice and hate in its eyes. The sound of screeching metal filled the air as the giant turned its head to look at Jennie. Slowly it brought one of its colossal hands up to its head in a fist before swiftly bringing it down on Jennie.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She woke to blaring sirens and the crew charging around the ship. Wide-eyed, she pulled on some clothes and jogged to the bridge.  
" Captain what's going on? Why the sirens?"  
"Iacti on the hull, miss. The crew are scrambling to clear them before they chew the boat into Swiss cheese. You could go help if ya want but I see you hardly have any shoes on. Go borrow the ones I keep in my locker."  
Jennie looked down and awkwardly wiggled her bare toes against the floor of the bridge.  
" SIR, DIVE CREW 1 IS READY," The first mate shouted.  
" YOU'RE CLEAR TO GO. " The captain shouted back.  
The crew members stepped off the boat into the dark water below, the boat rocking with the motion.   
Jennie and the captain waited patiently in the bridge for the divers to return, swaying to accommodate the occasional movements of the boat. Half an hour passed before the crew began to return to the boat, many of whom were exhausted. One crew member was pulled onto the deck clutching his leg and crying out whenever he was moved.   
" Step aside, let me see 'im," The first mate ordered. "Let's see 'at leg, hmmm. They didn't get ya too bad. You two get 'im to his bunk and bind up that leg."   
" Sir, we brought back the bitch that bit 'im," A frightened sailor spluttered.  
Another sailor climbing out of the water held up a transparent worm-like creature for the first mate to see.  
" Don't worry Sir, I caught the slimy thing for you. It put up a struggle, but I held them off." He said, straining under the weight of the worm.  
" Wait, wait I want to see," Jennie came running down onto the deck, slipping up a little in some boots she had borrowed from the captain, " Could I hold it?"  
" Sure babe, but it may be a little too much for you, so I'll wait here to grab it back if you can't handle it." The deckhand said, raising his eyebrows in an attempt to flirt.  
As Jennie took the strange creature she braced for its weight, which in her arms barely felt like anything. It was strangely warm to the touch and near see through, she could look straight through it at the rude deckhand. Its insides were incredibly simple, just a long tube from the mouth that spiralled a little at the end. Jennie turned the blobby creature around to stare into its mouth, holding it up to the lighting on the deck to get a better look. In its simple mouth, the Iacti had rows upon rows of sharp little teeth, which it seemed to be able to rotate slightly when it used them.   
"Woah, cool teeth, " Jennie smiled, before handing it to the first mate who almost bent double under the weight.  
"Right sorry, I'll get out of your way." Jennie apologised, waving as she headed back towards her cabin.  
The men watched her leaving in mild amazement.   
"Did she just hold an Iacti like it is nothing?" One small, slightly chubby man said. " Because that is not normal."  
" I like a strong woman," The rude deckhand smirked, rubbing his hands together. " Especially one that could support my weight."  
The other men in the group turned to look at the deckhand, all visibly disgusted by him.  
" Well I for one, want to forget all this. Clean up and get back to bed, clearly we are all seeing things," The first mate said, staring at the deckhand.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jennie leant over the railing and stretched her arms out into the cool breeze, relishing the coolness on her tattoos. They were aching a little, and pressing her wrists against anything cool gently took that away. She kept turning them over to trace how the thick black lines distorted over the scarring on her right hand.  
" Cool tats, got a cool name to go with them, sugar? " The deckhand from the previous night extended out his hand.  
" Erm, Jennie, and thanks, I guess," She replied, tugging her sleeves down to cover her arms.  
She shook his hand nervously, worried about what he would say next.  
" I'm Felix, and I genuinely do like the tattoos," He tried to keep his face perfectly neutral as he saw her hand. " So, what is an angel doing amongst all of us common folk?"  
He said leaning on the railings towards her.  
" Ok wow. That is not a line I saw coming... I guess I'm just a tourist though," Jennie shook her head in disbelief.  
" Well, when we get back to shore, I can help show you some of Ashvale's ... finest sights." He winked.  
" Woah, no thanks. I am not interested at all."   
" What do you mean by that, babe. I'm just trying to be kind." He stood up, crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.  
" I don't mean any offence just I don't need any kind of "guide"," Jennie backed away a little.  
" Why are you so -" He started.  
"BOAT TO STARBOARD" shouted a voice from the bridge.  
The vessel was a fancy white speed boat, the kind that you take people out in to go on fishing weekends. It had become wedged on a large iceberg and was badly damaged. Crawling over the vessel were strange star like blobs that were slowly beginning to eat away at the paint work. The first mate ran over to the railing near Jennie and pulled out a Pokéball. From it emerged a large Floatzel, coat glossy and well kept.  
"Renata, clear away the Charys for us." He asked the weasel.  
Obliging it opened its mouth and emitted a sonic blast at the boat. The blobs wavered slightly before dissipating into small puddles.   
" Jennie, get down the end of the boat, Jacob is launching a small vessel and wants you on the team " He urged.  
Minutes later Jennie and the small team were speeding towards the wreck.  
"Eyes focused gentlemen, we need to look for survivors or grab anything of importance and get out as fast as possible. These Charybdafoes will eat humans and move quickly. I don't need any more crew to go down, OK?" The captain said gravely.  
Jennie kept her eyes on the boat. It carried the logo of Team ESA but had a colour scheme unlike any of the ESA team members she had seen.The boat was pure white and clinical looking, decked out with futuristic styled equipment. The closer they got to it, the stranger and more suspicious it appeared.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jennie stepped off the boat and onto the iceberg. Up close, she saw that the Charybdafoe had torn a huge hole out of the hull. The metal had been eroded away and appeared brittle and fragile. The rest of the crew spread out around the craft quickly searching for survivors, whilst Jennie went straight for the inside of the vessel.   
Crouching low she clambered down into the boat. Strange sharp smells filled the air and traces of a strange corrosive substance were spattered around the walls. The design of the compartment was simple, with a row of soft seating and a simple kitchen area. Most of the room had been filled with large crates and storage vessels, all marked with stamps for some of the towns of Morosa. One of the boxes had been pulled aside from the rest and lay wide open on the floor. A small stone tablet had been carefully wrapped in fine muslin but had now fallen out of the protective box. Jennie picked it up to examine it. It was made out of the same grey blue stone of the curious ruin she found in the marshes and just like the ruins had been carved with the same snaking letters accompanying a central image. The image was arrow shaped and showed three similar symbols linked together by straight lines. From what she could tell they represented the same strange trio of animals from the central pillar. She stroked the smooth surface of the tablet. One symbol, the one that formed the very top of the circle felt warm under her hands and pulsed just slightly. She felt a slight prick in her finger and saw blood begin to colour the symbol. Her arms began to burn again as dark lines stretched down from the bands around her wrists. The tablet glowed a little as it vibrated in her hands. Before her eyes the snake symbols began to jitter and slide around the tablet.   
I'm going mad she thought, as some of the snakes began to have meaning. They repeated a pattern that meant "GOAT" over and over. Jennie dropped the tablet and the burning stopped.   
Her breath came short and fast now, her heart beating in fear.  
"Jennie, we 'ave to go." The first mate shouted into the boat.  
She leapt out of her skin and stared up at him with wide eyes. Shaking like a leaf she rushed forward and dug her face into him, her tears soaking his jumper.  
"What the hell." He said touching her arm.  
Blood oozed from the new tattoos, forming huge red beads.   
" Arceus, we 'ave to get you back." He stood dumbfounded for a second. " WE'RE GOING NOW, SOMEONE GET ME A SPARE COAT!"  
Gently he put his arm around the girl and coaxed her into the blinding light and back onto the small vessel they had arrived on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Note from Jennies Journal: Charybdafoe and Iacti are strange creatures that have a reputation for causing wrecks. It has been suggested the they are actually after the wood and metal that the boats are made from. But in all of these attacks the crew of the boats have either completely vanished or have been found partially eat, so I doubt the boat theory.]


End file.
